Federal charges could carry death penalty

TUCSON, Ariz. — As Rep. Gabrielle Giffords battled to recover from a brain-piercing bullet Sunday, federal officials in Arizona charged Jared Lee Loughner with five counts related to Saturday’s shooting spree outside a Tucson supermarket. In Washington, politicians turned their attention to honoring the victims and floating legislative proposals — some at odds with each other — aimed at preventing violence against other public officials.

Loughner, 22, was charged with killing two federal employees — District Court Judge John M. Roll and Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman — attempting to assassinate Giffords and trying to kill two more of her aides. Loughner could face the death penalty if he is convicted.

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Though he is accused of killing six people, it was Giffords, who remains in critical condition, whom Loughner targeted, according to law enforcement officials.

The words “I planned ahead,” “My assassination” and “Giffords” were written on an envelope recovered from a safe at Loughner’s home, according to a charging document signed by FBI Special Agent Tony Taylor Jr. A stock letter from Giffords to Loughner, thanking him for participating in a similar 2007 “Congress on Your Corner” event, was also inside the safe, Taylor wrote.

“It was an attack on our institutions and our way of life,” FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters in Arizona. “I can assure you that teams of professionals are working … to ensure that justice is done.”

Loughner purchased the weapon - a Glock 9mm — in November of last year, Mueller said.

As the portrait of Loughner became more detailed, so, too, did the courageous acts of bystanders who stopped the spree and gave life-saving aid to Giffords.

Patricia Maisch ran from the back of a line toward the front to grab a magazine from the shooter, delaying him long enough for Roger Sulzgeber and Joseph Zimudie, to restrain him. Maisch had not been shot, as had been reported earlier by law enforcement officials. Sulzgeber was waiting in line to speak with Giffords, and Zimudie found the shooting in progress as he came out of a nearby Walgreens.

Giffords intern Daniel Hernandez — 20 years old and just five days on the job, according to the Arizona Republic — applied pressure to the congresswoman’s bleeding head, pulled her into his lap to keep her upright enough to breathe properly and prompted her to squeeze his hand to show that she could hear his commands. When the shots rang out, he ran toward them.

Giffords was identified as a victim by one of the first people to call 911 dispatchers, according to tapes of emergency calls released by the Pima County sheriff’s office Sunday.

“Mrs. Giffords! There was a shooting at Safeway at Ina and Oracle where Gabrielle Giffords was, and I do believe Gabby Giffords was hit,” Manuel Hernandez told the dispatcher. “It looked like a guy had a semiautomatic pistol. He went in and just started firing and he then he ran,” Hernandez told the dispatcher.

The dispatcher asked for more information on Giffords, and Manuel Hernandez responded “She’s hit. I do believe she is breathing — she is breathing, she has a pulse and we got, we got one dead.”

“There was multiple people shot,” he added.

The dispatcher responded: “Oh my God.”

Giffords arrived in the operating room at the University of Arizona’s Medical Center 38 minutes after the shooting and spent two hours in surgery.

Dr. Peter Rhee, head of trauma at the hospital, told reporters that Giffords is likely to survive “unless there’s a catastrophic complication.”